The island was used by the Mayan people as a sanctuary dedicated to Ixchel, the goddess of love and fertility. According to the legend, when the Spanish arrived they found a large number of women statues carved in stone in honor of the goddess, and it is from here that the island gets it’s name "Isla Mujeres" (The Island of Women). Another legend also has it that the island was used as a refuge by the pirate and slave trader, Fermin Mundaca, who built a beautiful hacienda here to try to make a local island girl fall in love with him. The ruins of the construction are a reminder of those times gone by.